"24" | Colorado Pols

Petition for Obama on Marijuana Policy…Growing

Posted on November 13, 2012December 28, 2012 by Colorado Pols

On Monday, politics columnist and KHOW talk-show host David Sirota, filed a petition through the Obama administration’s “We the People” program on the White House website requesting the president support a federal law to protect marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington and any other states that decide to pass similar laws in the future…

…Less than 24 hours since Sirota started the petition it has nearly 10,000 signatures, but the petition needs a total 25,000 to reach its goal. Read the full petition here.

The congressional proposal that Sirota references is regarding the proposed legislation that Colorado Reps Diana DeGette (CD1), Ed Perlmutter (CD7) and Jared Polis (CD2) are working on independently and together that would exempt states that pass marijuana legalization legislation from the federal Controlled Substances Act, The Colorado Independent reported over the weekend.

Here’s the link for the petition. Last week’s election results have put Colorado front and center on the marijuana legalization fight.

Denver reporters say 2012 presidential race drowned out coverage of local races

Posted on November 9, 2012January 18, 2013 by Jason Salzman

During a panel discussion today on local coverage of the 2012 election, journalists said the presidential election, as it played out in Colorado, consumed so much of their time that they were unable to give proper attention to other important Colorado races, including congressional campaigns.

“The presidential just drowns out everything else,” said CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd. “I did cover the local stuff, but it’s hard to do that when you’ve got so much going on with the presidential race, and that’s what so many people are focused on.”

“TV is broadcasting, and the word ‘broad’ is real, ” added Fox 31 Political Reporter Eli Stokols. “If we think about what people are most interested in, it’s what they’re already hearing about, the presidential stuff. It’s hard for us to cover congressional races in much detail.

Colorado Public Radio reporter Megan Verlee told the audience of about 30 people at the Independence Institute that her station tries to explain why other races matter.

“If you’re covering the CD-7 race, most of your listeners aren’t in CD-7 , they’re wondering, ‘Why do I care about Coors and Perlmutter?'” Verlee said. “And then if you’re covering a State House race, the vast, vast majority of your listeners are not in that area. We were running stories reminding people why it matters who controls the Legislature next time. So if you’re uncomfortable with legal recognition for gay unions, and you’re Republican, you might want to get out and help your candidate. If you want civil unions, and you’re a Democrat, you might want to go out and help your candidate. There were things we could say–‘This is why you need to pay attention to your local races.’ And we actually interviewed Ernest Luning from the Statesman who was doing really great coverage of the State House races and we linked to his website.”

Arizona Shooter Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

Posted on November 8, 2012 by ProgressiveCowgirl

24-year-old Jared Lee Loughner will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Arizona shooting that left six dead and many wounded, including then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Loughner was sentenced under a plea agreement supported by victims, including Giffords.

The hearing marked the first time victims – including Giffords – could confront Loughner in court.

Her astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, did all the talking for her, as the couple looked at Loughner and told him how his deadly rampage at the former congresswoman’s political meeting had upended her life.

“Her life has been forever changed. Plans she had for our family and her career have been immeasurably altered,” Kelly said. “Every day is a continuous struggle to do those things she once was so good at.”

Loughner showed no emotion, and looked at the other victims. His mother sobbed nearby.

“Mr. Loughner, you may have put a bullet through her head but you haven’t put a dent in her spirit and her commitment to make the world a better place,” Kelly said.

If You Liked Laura Bradford, You’ll LOVE Rep.-Elect Jared Wright

Posted on November 8, 2012December 28, 2012 by Colorado Pols

Charles Ashby of the Grand Junction Sentinel reports:

Embattled Republican Jared Wright won the seat to represent House District 54 Tuesday night.

The 29-year-old who faced calls for his ouster from members of his own party because of numerous scandals won 58 percent of the vote, defeating Tim Menger, the Libertarian Party candidate who didn’t expect to be much of a challenger in the race…

Wright joined other Republicans at its campaign-night event held at Two Rivers Convention Center.

But unlike other Republicans at the event, such as state Rep. Ray Scott and U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, Wright didn’t address the crowd.

Jared Wright, as we’ve discussed, is the once-beloved Republican candidate for HD-54 charged with salvaging the party’s sacred honor in the wake of Rep. Laura Bradford’s career flameout–after her questionable traffic stop in Denver last January, and allegations, later swept under the rug, that Bradford invoked legislative immunity to prevent a DUI arrest.

The problem is that Mr. Wright has been just as, if not more embarrassing to the GOP than Bradford was. Wright resigned under a cloud from the Fruita Police Department after an investigation revealed he was regularly clocking in for work while still at home. Later it was disclosed that Wright had a very large amount of consumer debt for which he filed bankruptcy last year, including such examples of fiscal responsibility as tanning memberships and multiple cars. Local Republicans spent the rest of the election trying to persuade Wright to withdraw.

Well folks, not only did Wright fail to listen, he and his baggage are headed to Denver!

Rep. Mark Waller Elected GOP Minority Leader

Posted on November 8, 2012December 28, 2012 by Colorado Pols

UPDATE #4: Despite rumors to the contrary reported by FOX 31 and elsewhere, outgoing House Speaker Frank McNulty will not resign his HD-43 seat.

—–

UPDATE #3: Statement from Minority Leader-designee Mark Waller:

Today, House Republicans unanimously elected state Rep. Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, to lead them into the 69th General Assembly, which begins January 9, 2013. House Republicans also elected the following members to leadership positions: state Rep. Libby Szabo, R-Arvada, as Assistant Minority Leader; state Rep. Kathleen Conti, R-Littleton, as Caucus Chair; and state Rep. Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, as Caucus Whip.

“As we head into the 69th General Assembly, House Republicans will continue our focus on job creation, economic recovery and prioritizing more money for education,” said Minority Leader Waller. “We look forward to continuing to work together with our friends across the aisle to build a better Colorado for our state’s hardworking families.”

Speaker Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, who did not seek a leadership position added: “I am very proud of our House Republican caucus and congratulate Reps. Waller, Szabo, Conti, and Priola on their leadership election this morning. Our House GOP showed over the last two years that Republicans and Democrats can work together. My priorities remain the same – to help create an environment for job creation and to focus on prioritizing funding to ensure a quality education for all of Colorado’s students.”

—–

UPDATE #2: First statement from new Minority Leader Mark Waller, via Ivan Moreno:

—–

UPDATE: Rep. Mark Waller the sole nominee for GOP Minority Leader.

—–

A poll follows.

Democrats Retake Colorado House

Posted on November 7, 2012December 28, 2012 by Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Key Colorado House race results:

HD-3

Daniel Kagan (D) 49.76% 14,639 votes

Brian Watson (R) 46.24% 13,603 votes

HD-18

Pete Lee (D) 52.26% 17,219 votes

Jennifer George (R) 41.86% 13,793 votes

Amy Fedde (ACN) 2.16% 712 votes

Robert ‘Bob’ Melamede (LIB) 3.72% 1,226 votes

HD-23

Max Tyler (D) 49.77% 18,443 votes

Rick Enstrom (R) 44.38% 16,445 votes

HD-28

Brittany Pettersen (D) 52.50% 17,752

Amy Attwood (R) 43.47% 14,698

HD-29

Tracy Kraft-Tharp (D) 51.39% 16,893

Robert Ramirez (R) 43.36% 14,254

HD-59

Mike McLachlan (D) 52.95% 18,316

J. Paul Brown (R) 47.05% 16,272

By a considerable number of seats; we’ll update with results from key races shortly.

Election Results Thread

Posted on November 7, 2012November 7, 2012 by Colorado Pols

With initial results rolling into the Jefferson County Clerks office, Jefferson County Democrats appear to be leading their Republican counterparts in nearly every race down the ticket.

It’s important to note that zero of the county’s 262 precincts are completely reported and that much can and will change throughout the night. Yet these early results do indicate the intentions of early voters whose ballots have already been tabulated.

As of 7:30 PM, 258,257 votes have been counted. To put that number into perspective, 292,684 total votes were cast in 2008. Turnout will be higher this year, but these early results are indicative of the overall trends in Jeffco this go-around.

We’ll continue to update this thread with numbers from the competitive races throughout the evening.

7:40 Update

President

Barack Obama: 130,838 | 53.27%

Mitt Romney: 121,982 | 47.23%

County Commissioner

Casey Tighe: 113,952 | 49.72%

John Odom: 115,242 | 50.28%

SD-19

Evie Hudak: 29,196 | 47.00%

Lang Sias: 29,149 | 46.93%

SD-22

Andy Kerr: 31,972 | 51.95%

Ken Summers: 29,573 | 48.05%

HD-23

Max Tyler: 17,081 | 50.04%

Rick Enstrom: 15,152 | 44.39%

HD-28

Brittany Pettersen: 16,386 | 52.56%

Amy Attwood: 13,623 | 43.70%

HD-29

Tracy Kraft-Tharp: 15,563 | 51.48%

Robert Ramirez: 13,144 | 43.47%

Poor Robert Ramirez

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Colorado Pols

Poor Robert Ramirez. The Republican legislator running for re-election in HD-29 has had troubles with his own campaign materials. Now outside political groups trying to help Ramirez aren’t doing him any favors. A recent mail piece sent out by the “Colorado Leadership Fund” doesn’t make it clear whether you are supposed to like or dislike Ramirez at first glance.

Ramirez was less than pleased with the mail piece when contacted by the Denver newspaper, and we don’t blame him. The other side of the mailer does try to paint Ramirez as a strong supporter of public schools, but given that most people only take a passing look at direct mail this time of year, the message needs to be a lot more obvious. If you only saw this side of the mailer, would you assume that it was a positive piece?

Shooting The Superintendent, And Other Classy School Board Moments

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Colorado Pols

9NEWS reported Monday night and we wanted to make sure our readers saw:

A Jefferson County School board member has apologized after she agreed with a Denver radio host that the school’s superintendent should be shot.

Radio host Jason Worley, of 560 AM, made the comment about Jefferson County Superintendent Cindy Stevenson in reference to the school’s budget.

Worley said, “If you have a [full-time] Facebook person still in Jefferson County [on staff] your superintendent should be shot.”

Board member Laura Boggs, who was on the radio to talk about a ballot initiative to increase taxes for education, agreed with the statement, but later said she was on her phone at the time and did not fully hear what Worley said.

Laura Boggs has been at the center of a number of controversies on the Jefferson County school board, becoming the first-ever member of that board to be censured for her consistently outrageous conduct. Boggs represents the “Tea Party” minority opposition, was a proud supporter of 2010’s “Bad Three” ballot initiatives after voting to oppose them officially, and is presently working against a mill levy and bond issue campaign for the district she serves.

This is evidently how shooting the superintendent came up.

Incidentally, there is no “full time Facebook person” on staff at Jefferson County Schools. This is just one of many such particularly fact-challenged talking points employed by the campaign against Jefferson County’s Issues 3A and 3B. Ms. Boggs should certainly know better.

But as far as superintendent Cindy Stevenson is concerned, we’re kind of past that.

Originally posted at Colorado Pols.

Presidential Candidates in Denver This Week

Posted on October 23, 2012October 23, 2012 by Colorado Pols

Just three weeks after they faced off at the University of Denver’s Sturm Hall, presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will concurrently be making a late-game sweep of the Denver metro area this week.

Romney and running mate Paul Ryan will, perplexingly, be hosting a “Victory Rally” at Red Rocks tomorrow evening, fewer than 24 hours after the Republican sits down with the president for their third and final debate this cycle. The GOP ticket will be joined on stage by country musician Rodney Atkins and “rapper” Kid Rock. Although (paradoxically) Mitt Romney counts a few endorsements from those in the porn industry, his appearance with Kid Rock likely marks the first time he’ll ever appear on stage with someone who features prominently in a sex tape. Tickets are free, and if you consider yourself an “American Bad Ass,” you can pick them up here. Doors upen at 4:00 PM and the event begins at 6:30 PM.

President Barack Obama will also be in Denver this week, visiting City Park for a rally on Wednesday afternoon. Tickets are available for that event here and doors open at 12:00 PM.

Although Colorado is still very much in play this year, with only a few weeks left until polls close, this very well may be the last chance to get an up-close and in-person glimpse of either presidential candidate. There are other swing states, you know. It certainly marks the last time both will be here simultaneously.

Search Results for: 24

Petition for Obama on Marijuana Policy…Growing

Denver reporters say 2012 presidential race drowned out coverage of local races

Arizona Shooter Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

If You Liked Laura Bradford, You’ll LOVE Rep.-Elect Jared Wright

Rep. Mark Waller Elected GOP Minority Leader

Democrats Retake Colorado House

Election Results Thread

Poor Robert Ramirez

Shooting The Superintendent, And Other Classy School Board Moments

Presidential Candidates in Denver This Week

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